American visitors to a Moray celebration of Scotland’s national drink outnumbered those of other nationalities for the first time this year.
Among the many statistics on the latest Spirit of Speyside Whisky festival, it was revealed the event attracted more American guests than ever before in its 16 year history.
It was also found that they remained in the area for longer than they have in previous years.
The malt-tasting extravaganza ran from Thursday, April 30, to Monday, May 4, and featured specialist tours, tastings and dinners.
More than 400 events were held in venues across Speyside, attracting 26,389 people from a record 34 nations.
Festival chairman James Campbell said: “While we are delighted to continue to attract visitors from all around the world, we are particularly pleased to see the festival becoming such a draw for American tourists.
“The USA has become a key market for us, and so many people being willing to travel such distances to experience the festival speaks volumes for the hard work of everyone involved.”
The number of people who stayed for all five nights of the festival increased by 32% compared to 2014, while overnight visitors increased to 79% – a rise of 9% on last year’s figures.
Further assessments showed that 40% of attendees stayed 6.2 nights on average, taking the opportunity to visit other parts of Scotland while travelling to and from the event.
Other malt enthusiasts travelled from as far afield as Australia, Brazil and Mexico to attend, and the festival brought an estimated £1.36million into the area.
Chief Executive of VisitScotland, Malcolm Roughead, added: “To hear that the festival has widened its international appeal and visitors are staying for longer is fantastic news.”